Die for laying wire rope and wire-rope strands



1,759,105 DIE FO LAYING WIRE ROPE AND WIRE ROPE STRNDS 2 sheets-sheet 1 4 f. I l Mu {Ll/44.14..

llllllllllll J. E. EVANS Oiginal Filed sept. 7, 1928' May 20, 193Q.

May 2o, 1930. n J. E. EVANS 1,759,105l

DIE FOR LAYING WIRE ROPE AND WIRE 'ROPE STRANDS original Filed sept. '7,1928 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented May 20, 1930 UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH E. EVANS, or BEDFORD, mnmnmfassrenon. or omronnrn fro errantes s. KNIGHT, or cHIcAGo, ILLINoIs Y y l Dm EUR LAYING ROPE AND. WIRE-ROPE STBANDS:

Application medseptember 7, 1928, Seriallo. $04,455. Renewed September 26.18%.

My invention relates to a. device designed to form a portion of a machine for manufac-- turing a wire cable ora group of Wire for m` ing a strand of such a cable,-from a plurality strand. The object of my invention is to pro-V vide a wire-laying multiple-element Y die which shall exert a strongly compresslve ac- '15 tion on the group of wires passing through the device and being formed into a finished rope or cable element for a considerably greater extent of the path travel of the cablethan usual in the case of dies ordinarily em- 20.ployed in wire-ro e making machines-while avoiding undue 'ctional drag oftheV rope against the die members, and to makeprovisions in such a multiple-element die for adjustmg the compressive effect of the ldie ele! 2ments, as well as for interchanging the die members to enable the machine to be used for manufacturing wireropes or rope. strands of various sizes. Other and incidental objects and advantages of my invention will be ap'- parent from the description hereinafter given, the essential elements of my invention being Vmore particularly pointed out in the Aappended claims.

' In the drawings,

1 is a snnpliiied semi-diagrammatic "iew on a small scale, illustrating in side view the relation of my novel die to the other-ele ments of a cable-making machine; Y Y Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of the device;

'g'. 3 is a side vielew of one lpef {lifoul ad- 'ustable backing' ate mem rs provi ing iraeks for the endless chains die elements detached;

- 475Y Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the device;

Fig. 5 is a front end view of. the same; F. one lthe four frame bars, detached;

Fig. 8 is a plan'view of one of the die elements of the device detached;

ly`; and 5 of'spirally coiled Wire strands, and partlcualso a power driven drum or reel (marked C of connected I v guide-ways'adapted-to receive four endless chains of connected die elements 11, which are r vconnected by link members 12 engaging 6 and 7 are views of opposite sides of' 9 and 10 are detail viewsof one of the die elements with an associated roller,

shown in side and end elevation,- respective- Fig. 11 is a top plan view of the complete device, on :a relatively small scale. Y Like reference v characters indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The particular construction" 'ofthe arts 'of a wire-rope-making machine in which my novel rope-laying die is employed, other than the die itself, immaterial, excepting than that the machineincludes s ome form of rotating head (indicated diagrammatically at -A in Fig, 1), carryingn reels of wire .from which 'the several strands of wire B whichenter into the completed rope are conducted as they. are laid down in a spiral path as they enter the die, and-that the machine ordinarily includes,

on Fig. 1) which serves to draw the wireV strands an completed cable B through the device, and coil the cable up for storage and shipment. Wire-rope-making machines of the general construction mentloned are wellknown in the rope-making art, and m improvement relates to' the vdie-member o such machines only.

so frame of the machine in appropriate relation to the other parts above mentioned,in the present 'instance consists ofV end plates 1 and '2, secured to four similarl -formed frame bars 3, 4, 5 and 6 by means of lts 7 and dowel pins 8. The` end plate 1 is provided with a closing-in bushing 9 having a iaredv internal opening somewhat larger than the finishedrope.A This busln may either be secured inV fixed position in t e end plate by means of a set screw 10, as shown, or may be free to rotate inthe end plate.

The frame bars are machined to provide pintles'14 which pass through such link members and die elements. TheseV pintles also The die frame, which it will be understood Y is ordinarily secured in fixed position in the lea' extending inwardly or rearwrdly from each die element. The opposite sides of the body of each die element are cut away, as indicated at X, on lanes approximately radial of the axis of t e passageway for the cable between-the four chains of connected die elements, and the segmentally cylindrical working face Y of each die element extends through an arc of slightly less than a quadrant of the cylinder. Preferably, and as shown, one end of each die element, as Athe leading end, is beveled on its opposite side edge, as indicated at Z, and the opposite end is formed with corresponding llanges, marked Z; so that the die elements will tend to nest together in alignment during their travel, and sidewise movement will be prevented.

The grooved rollers of the four connected chains are arranged to ride upon track rails 15 formed upon the peripheral faces of four round-ended tensioned backing members 16, one associated with each cha-in. The ends of the track rails are rounded and of such contour as to permit the forward and following ends of the workin face of the die elements to enter into and epart from working env gagement without pinching the group of strands, and the die elements may be slightly cut away in furtherance of the same purpose. Each backing member is mounted to permit movement radially of the rope passage between guide faces formed on the frame bars on each side of it, but is restrained from 1ongitudinal movement by block portions 17 extending laterally from the side faces of the track member and working in recesses 18 formed in the frame bars.

The several backing members, and conse lquently the die elements associated with them 'are secured in place in the die frame and yieldingly stressed towards the rope passageway between the die elements through a pair ofretaining shoes19-19 arrangedtostraddle the space occupied by the backing members and chain of die elements between adjacent frame bars on each side of the frame. The

` frame bars (see Figs. 4:, 6 and 7 are formed with flange portions a on each side of a central space, andthe shoes 19, which are slightly shorter than the opening between the flanges a, are formed with opposite recurved flange portions b arranged to hook under the flanges a.` Each retaining shoe 19 is formed with a' threaded seat to receive a set screw 20 which bears against a saddle 21 upon an elliptical spring 21 bearing at its ends against one of the block portions 17 of the particular backing member 16, the tension of the four springs 21 acting upon a particular backing member thus stressing the associated' cham of die elements cooperating with its track rail 15 radially of the rope passa eway, and `the combined tension of all of t e springs'serving to create radial inward pressure extending practically entirely around a cable passt ing between the die elements through the dcvice. -Obviously, the tension of the springs may be so adjusted thatfthe backin members, when used. in connection wit wire strands and die elements of given dimensions, will brineP up against the inner faces of the recesses- 8, `as shown in Fig. 4, the working faces of the die elements thus defining a standard minimum rope passageway, and the die elements being free to yield radially outward to accommodate a variation in size of the wire strands and formed cable passing through the device. By adjustment of the set screws, the tension of the springs may be regulated as required for the best results Other forms of tensioning springs than the elliptical spring particularly described may of course be employed.

lt will be understood that I contemplate the use of interchangeable chains of connected die elements to enable the device to be used to form cables of different diameters, and this may readily be accomplished by loosening the set screws 2O and sliding the retaining shoes 19 one at a time opposite'the gap between the flanges a-a of the frame bars to permit their removal. y The operation of the die will readily be understood from the foregoing explanation of its construction. The finished cable or cable strand, and the wires entering into it are drawn through the device under aproper degree of tension, b means of the winding drum C before mentioned, or otherwise, from the rotating head A which delivers to the device the separate wires entering into the cable. On its way through the device, the wire strands first pass through the cl )sing-in bushin 9 which directs the strands, spirally coiled ut not compacted and sized to linal form, into the passageway between tbe chains of die elements. The frictional drag of the strands upon the die elements of the four endless chains carries the die elements along with the strands, the latter beingsubjectcd on their way to the compressive action of the die elements exerted through the springs 21. while the anti-friction rollers riding A on the track rails 15 of the backing members 1G permit the die elements and associated chain members to travel freely with the cable as it is being formed, and return around such backing members. In this manner, the wire strands of the cable are compacted and compressed soy that they are Vdeadened or given a ermanent set in the strand, or finished ca le, and will retain their position ltherein without tendency to unwind. Upon emerging from the device the rope passes to the winding drum and is stored upon it.

It is obvious that while the machine as illustrated in the drawings and 4above described consists of four similar sections and chains of multiple die members, the number of chains land sections could be either greater ter of the rope passage and the working and meeting faces of the die members and other parts being modified accordingly.

It is further obvious that other anti-friction meansfor supporting the die members than the rollersabove describedmay be employed, though I regard the particular construction described as eflicient and desirable.

I claim:

1. In a wire ropemaking machine, acompression device for laying the strands of the rope including aframe and a plurality of endless chains of connectedl die elements mounted to travel with their inner flights extending parallel with each other adjacent theV center of the device, said die elements being formed with cylindrically segmental working faces arranged to enga e the rope and together form a rope passageway.

2. In a wire rope making machine, a compression device for laying the strands of the ropev including av frame .and a plura lty of endless chains of connected die 'elements' mountedA to travel with their inner flights eX- tending parallel with each other adjacent the center o the device, said die elements being formed with cylindrically segmental working faces arranged to engage the rope and 1 together form a rope passageway, and antifriction backing means for holding said die -members carried by said frame and engaged by saidrollcrs for holding saiddie elements against a rope .within said passageway.

' 4. In awire` rope making machine, acompression device for laying the strands of the rope including a frame and a plurality of endless .chains of `connected die elements mounted to travel with their inner flights extending parallel with each other adjacent the center of the device, said die elements being formed with cylindrically segmental `working faces arranged to engage the rope and together form a rope passageway and being` .equippedwithlanti-friction rollers, and backing members mounted in said frame and formed with tracks engaged by said rollersl for holdin said die elements against a rope within sai passageway, said backing plates being adjustable in said frame radiallyv of said passageway.

5. In a wire rope making machine, a compression device for laying the strands of the rope including a frame and a plurality of endless chains of connected die elements mountedto travel with their inner flights extending parallel with each other adjacent the center of the device, said die elements being formed with cylindrically segmental working faces arranged to engage the rope and togetherform a rope passageway and being equipped with anti-friction rollers, and backing members severally formed with tracks engaged by said rollers for holding said die elements against a rope within said passageway, said backing members being mounted to permit their movement radially of said passageway, and spring tension means for stressingsaid backing members toward the rope.

6. A device according to claiml in which said frame includes end plates and a plurality of frame bars spaced apart and arranged to provide guideways for the chains ofconnected die elements.

7. In a wire rope making machine, a compression device for laying the strands of the rope including rigidly connected frame bars arranged to form a plurality of guideways extending radially from the center line of the device, an endless chain of connected die elements arranged -to travel in each guide-i way, said chains including anti-friction contact members, backing members severally arranged inside t-he loops of the chains and each formed with a track. face extending around its outer face arranged to support said contact members, and means for connecting said frame and said backing members.

8; In a wire rope making machine, a compression device for laying the strands of the rope including rigidly connected frame bars arranged to form a plurality of guideways extending radially from the center line of the device, an endless chain of connected die elements arranged to travel in each guideway, said chains including anti-friction rollers, backing membersfseverally arranged inside the loops of the chains and each formed with a track for said rollers extending around its outer face, and means for connecting' said frame and said baclnng member.

9. In. a wire rope making machine, a compression device for laying the strands of the rope including rigidly connected frame bars arranged to form a plurality of guideways extending radially from the center line of the device, an endless 'chainof connected die elements arranged to travel in each guideway. said chains including anti-friction rollers, backing members severally arranged inside the'loops of the chains and each formed with a track for said rollers gxtending around its outer face," and spring tension meansA on said frame for stressing said backing members .Iadiall inward.

10. compression device according to claim 7 which includes spring tension means and retaining shoes on the machine frame equipped with adjusting screws arranged to -vary the stress of said spring tension means. 11. A compression device according to claim 7 in which said backing member 1s an 10 elongated flat plate having rounded ends and provided with block portions on its sides, and said frame bars are provided with radiallyextending recesses arranged to receive saidl block portions of the backing member.

- 12. A compression device according to claim 7 in which said backing member 1s an elongated flat plate having rounded ends and provided with block portions on its sides, and said frame bars are provided with radiallyextending recesses arranged to receive said block portions of the backing member, and in which springs housed in said frame bar Irecesses and bearing on said block portions of the backing member are arranged to stress such backing member inwardly.

13. In a wire rope making machine, a compression device for laying the strands of the rope including a frame formed with a lead-in opening and a plurality of endless chains of 3o connected die elements mounted to travel with their inner 'flights extending parallel with each other adjacent the center of the device, said die elements being formed with cylindrically segmental Working faces arranged to engage the rope and together forming a rope passageway aligned with said lead- 1n opemng. f

14. In a wire rope making machine, a compression device for laying the strands of the q rope including a frame, and die elements arranged in a plurality of trains of contiguous elements arranged to travel in closed paths in planes extending radially of the center of the device with the working inner faces of the dies extending in parallel lines adjacent the center of the device, said die elements being formed with cylindrically segmental VWorking faces arranged to engage the rope and, together form a rope passagewa In testimony whereof, I have sugscribed my name.

JOSEPH E. EVANS. 

